Quantum mechanical analysis of channel access geometry and series resistance in nanoscale transistors

We apply a two-dimensional quantum mechanical simulation scheme to study the effect of channel access geometries on device performance. This simulation scheme solves the nonequilibrium Green's function equations self-consistently with Poisson's equation and treats the effect of scattering using a simple approximation inspired by Buttiker. It is based on an expansion of the device Hamiltonian in coupled mode space. Simulation results are used to highlight quantum effects and discuss the importance of scattering when examining the transport properties of nanoscale transistors with differing channel access geometries. Additionally, an efficient domain decomposition scheme for evaluating the performance of nanoscale transistors is also presented. This article highlights the importance of scattering in understanding the performance of transistors with different channel access geometries. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.